Where there is creativity, there is plagiarism.

In the era of remixes, plagiarism may not seem a big issue. However, women in the arts industry tend to be affected more than men, historically and in modern times. The award-winning play Folk highlights injustice done to underprivileged women by the founding father of British folk songs Cecil Sharp.

When talking to Nell Leyshon, a British dramatist, about recognition, one can’t but wonder how “unheard’ voices may remain lost in history. It takes confidence and experience to stand up to plagiarism. ‘I would say what I learned in 20 years of working with what I call ‘unheard’ voices is that after working with a lot of communities, who haven’t got a chance to speak out, I work to give them the confidence and voice. So, I have a real interest in appropriation and who gets to speak’.

Nell Leyshon’s award-winning play Folk just returned at Hampstead Theatre due to public demand.  It is about plagiarism and injustice. The play focuses on the lives of two sisters from Somerset and a musician and composer named Cecil Sharp.

The story is set in 1903. Sharp was visiting from London to gather folk songs. He feared England’s folk songs would be lost forever if not discovered. Sharp, set out in search of the music to transcribe and restore. Upon arrival in Somerset, he met the Hooper sisters who had a great collection of songs which were taught to them by their mother. Sharp wrote down the songs and published a book without crediting them for the songs. Later he asked one of the sisters to move to London to learn music and sing with him. She refused his offer as she felt betrayed.

Cecil Sharp was best known as a collector of British folk songs, often referred to as the ‘founding father’ of the first folk revival. Sharp has collected over 5000 songs in his career.

“One thing he didn’t do interestingly is he didn’t write them down”, says the writer of Folk, Nell Leyshon. During that period other collectors used wax recording machines to record the actual thing as voices. If Sharp had used one of those, he would have had the original music. But what he did was write them down so he could temper with the music. He could change it. “He did credit the singers at the back of the book but didn’t really give them any money.”, “he did give some of them bits of tobacco and presents” in exchange for their songs.

Leyshon was inspired by this play when she visited an exhibition about Somerset singers in her hometown village. The minute she saw the pictures of the sisters, she had an instant connection with their story as she knew who those people were.

People who watched Folk describe it as a heart-warming story of sisterhood, love, and musical bonding. “I absolutely loved it. I knew immediately that this was a special story that didn’t come along that often. Complicated, beautiful, funny, strong working-class women from the west country”, Were comments by some of the viewers.

Charlotte Ive, theatre director, and writer, who also watched the play had a different point of view. “I thought it was sweet and warm but underneath it pulsed with a discussion about ownership”. Upon asked about her views on Cecil Sharp’s character she said, “he is no different from all the other Imperial Victorian men- he was patronising and has decided what was best for the work based on his politics and privileged idea that an educated society man knows much better than simple country folk, what is good for them”. She continues, “His need to stamp his name on the work also seemed in keeping with that Victorian male obsession of leaving a legacy behind.”

Plagiarism first came to be known in the 1st century by a Roman poet Martial, the Latin word “plagiarius” which translates to “kidnapper”. The Roman poet used the word to complain about another poet who had ‘kidnapped his verses’.

Sometimes plagiarism can be done unintentionally, but there is still a possibility that it can cause conflict with individuals as originality is key to success. Director and writer Charlotte Ive shares “I do so much research before I write things. I read absolutely everything I can find around a subject, everything”. She adds, “I have also written several pieces that are semi-verbatim - based on first-hand accounts of an event and then translated into something a character has said”.

Plagiarism can take place anywhere in any form but according to research, it commonly happens in music, art, and writing. It is easy to confuse inspiration for plagiarism.

Actress Sasha Frost shared how during a party she had a conversation with a colleague about her ideas for the upcoming project. Later, during a meeting at work, he presented her points as his own. Frost wonders, why people feel the need to steal. “I would have many more great ideas and feel bad for them as they have none and need to steal mine”.

Charlotte Ive had even more at stake. She directed and contributed writing to a show that was then taken to Edinburgh by the company without her. The play was created by the company, she was told to develop and direct the run at a London venue. Through the rehearsal process, quite a lot of her intellectual property was bound to it. She had to re-write and re-structure most of it with her dramaturgy, and direction. Not being invited to Edinburgh was disappointing, “I was actually really just hurt more than anything else, so I didn’t have it in me to pursue it, “says Charlotte.

In the interview Leyshon was asked, what she would do if her work was stolen. ‘What I learned is not to be polite and to go straight ahead and ask!’ was her response. “I believe in the power of the individual voice; I have spent so many years isolating myself writing deeper and deeper from that original voice”.